Sadly, one of the biggest stories of the week was about Jo Koy completely bombing as host of the Golden Globes. Koy was apparently hired to host the show ten days beforehand, whereas most awards-show hosts get months to prepare. The Globes did give him a budget to hire writers though – he apparently worked with three writers for eight days to create that completely gross, sexist and offensive opening monologue. We know all of this because the LA Times interviewed Koy after he bombed, and it’s all just… in poor taste. I get that he’s been in comedy for decades and maybe his stand-up is good, but his excuses for those terrible jokes fall flat. It might be better for him to say “yeah, I really f–ked that up, I hope my career recovers and please let me apologize for all of those sh-tty jokes.” Instead, we’re getting something else. Some highlights from this LA Times piece:
Lack of preparation: “We were still writing up until they said we’re live. Absolute cold reads, never got a chance to work out anything. And this is not an excuse, I’m just trying to paint the picture because I don’t think people understand, in any situation, how is that geared towards winning? If you were to write that situation down on a piece of paper and go, ‘Do you want to do this?’ I guarantee everyone would be like ‘No.’ I’m happy I did it because I did accept that challenge.”
The grade he would give himself for his Globes performance: “I think I did well given the circumstances. I don’t want to give myself a rating because that’s subjective, you can give me whatever rating you want. I’m gonna give myself an A-plus just based on the courage [to do it]. I’m going to hit it over the head a million times, whoever you can think of in your head that could have done it, I’m telling you right now they said no and I didn’t. I looked at it in a different light. The history of the show is 81 years. That’s 81 hosts and some repeated. I’m the first Asian to ever solo host. It’s 2024, I’m the first out of 81 years. Sandra Oh was the first co-host, but I was the first solo host. Imagine if someone said yes before me, we’d still be at the 82nd Golden Globes and still no Asian as a solo host, so if I didn’t say yes, there still would never have been.
How he threw his writers under the bus mid-monologue: “I love my writers. I love all three of them and I shouted them out. And I told them like that was a moment right there where I’m just grasping. I love them and I can’t stop talking about them in every interview. They busted their ass, man. There’s a lot of greats that make rookie moves. That was a rookie move. Those writers are dope and that was not my intention at all. They were amazing, they had my back and I need to make sure I fix that and I will, I always will.”
The Taylor Swift joke: “I didn’t understand the Taylor [Swift] tiff. Mind you, that one was just getting rewritten 50 million times, never ran it through, all the way up until we had to walk out. It’s just weird, where do you place it, and and we kept hammering it and cutting it down. But the whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL. It’s like, the cool thing about the [Golden] Globes is we don’t need to do cutaways for ratings. What hurts the most is me just supporting Taylor, I support her, I love her work. I got nieces that I bought tickets for. There’s no ill intent in that joke. The joke is about the NFL and how they keep using cutaways to [her]. And it’s an obvious reason why. I’m not saying anything that no one’s saying,and it’s obvious what that joke was. It’s about the NFL. It’s like out of everything that has happened this is the one you choose to go after. I didn’t understand why because it was fun when I walked out. Robert De Niro was dying, like, and I’m looking at him and his wife was smacking his back and smiling and laughing and he was laughing. And when I did the whole thing about him being 80 he loved it. And that was fun. I was like, man, this guy’s so much fun. And then I did that [Swift] joke and I’m like, what just happened?
The Barbie joke about “boobies”: “Then just the reaction to the Barbie joke. The things that are being said, it’s just like, man, I don’t think you understand who I am as a person, you know what I mean? Because if you’ve ever seen me, you’ll see just how much I praise and shine light on women, from my ex-wife to my mom. My whole goal is to try and change that type of narrative and just that look of being part of a divorced family. I’m telling a joke — what happened to society where we can’t even joke with each other anymore. I bought the movie. I supported the movie. Yes, that’s the story that that doll needed. And I’m glad because now there’s people that look like my mom that can support that.”
When you get to the point where you’re saying “what happened to society where we can’t even joke with each other anymore,” it’s over. Just pack it up. Just apologize and say “I f–ked up, my bad.” He’s still twisting himself in knots trying to justify a screw up. Let me be clear, I actually agree the producers did him dirty by hiring him so last-minute, just as I’m sure his writers did him dirty too. But he’s the face of it, and he either wrote or agreed to all of those lines. The sh-t about “a plastic doll with big boobies”? The jokes about Prince Harry and Meghan? “Because if you’ve ever seen me, you’ll see just how much I praise and shine light on women, from my ex-wife to my mom.” Sure, that’s why you made cheap, sexist jokes??
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JANUARY 07: Jo Koy arrives at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 835207369, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jo Koy, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JANUARY 07: Jo Koy arrives at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 835213469, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jo Koy, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
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- BEVERLY HILLS, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – JANUARY 07: Jo Koy arrives at the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 7, 2024 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 835213496, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Jo Koy, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
That hosting job is gonna be tough to shake off.
LOL. I see what you did there.
Ha ha. Is it weird I thought he was Howie Mandel for a good 5-10 minutes of the monologue?
He bombed bc he absolutely missed the zeitgeist of the year which is that Taylor Swift and Barbie (and Beyonce) have collectively flexed their economic and social clout this year. He also could have celebrated all the historical nominations and WINS for women, African Americans, Asian Americans and Native Americans but instead he came in like a 1990s Frat Boy.
Ok he’s the victim. What else is new. He is a poor excuse for a human being much less a comedian. Funny is not his strong suit. Unappealing prick is what he is.
He’s yet another “nice guy” who cracks a negging at women and when women are offended he falls back on “it was just a joke”.
I feel bad for the women in his life he is so “supportive” of.
Kaiser said that when you get to the point of explaining yourself by saying, “Society can’t take a joke now?” that’s the time to pack it in. Well, I agree but I’ll add one more. When you’re at the point of saying “My mother likes me” well, you’re done. Stop talking. This guy makes so many excuses, and he only stops momentarily to pat himself on the back (A-plus indeed).
I don’t agree his writers did him dirty at all he picked them, he clearly got what they wrote approved, and then he threw them under the bus. Just reprehensible behavior IMO.
I hate it when male comedians do this – “if you knew me you would know…” Well no hun we DON’T know you. All we know is what you SAY. So if the first thing someone sees of you is you telling a sexist joke perhaps they MAY think you’re sexist. So why not align your comedy to the values you CLAIM to have and then there won’t be any confusion about who you are.
Right?! I don’t need to know you personally to judge you professionally.
I’m sure hosting an awards show is a difficult job, but, please, snl writers come up with an entire show within a week and late night talk shows have to come up with jokes every day. Because the guy didn’t admit his mistakes and fall on the sword makes him a dogsh!t person.
But also? Let’s say for the sake of argument that he’s right- it wasn’t enough time, he truly didn’t mean to offend women, etc.
It doesn’t matter. The appropriate response is: “l didn’t mean to offend them. We fucked up and I’m sorry.” The end.
Believe people when they show you who they are. He showed us his values for women. He is showing his work. However, his work stinks.
There was a photo circulating from the writers’ room. There were certainly more than 3 writers there. I was surprised that there were women in the room too. I thought, the monologue could only be written by men. I guess not. Anyway, it was a real disappointment that in a year where women in entertainment business created financial success stories (Barbie, Eras Tour, Renaissance Tour), there was no respect from this guy for them. If it was someone like Seth Meyers, he would make some jokes, but still show his respect in a few sentences. Producers should stop turning all these shows into roasting events.
These comedians who love the punch down are the first ones to run to any outlet to talk about their hurt fee-fees. You bombed it happens. I hate when men use other women as shields against criticism. “My mom is a woman. I have daughters” yet you can STILL be a sexist POS.
Well said, @BlueSky. Your point about using women as shields against criticism is spot-on.
On a superficial note, those veneers are tragic. Jo Koy used to have a great smile, and it’s unfortunate that he messed with it.
Exactly @BlueSky and @DeeSea.
Every* man’s mother is a woman, and yet somehow sexism exists. The cognitive dissonance hurts.
*(Well almost, because trans men who give birth are men, not women, but the kids born of trans men are probably raised in an accepting environment and know not to be a sexist asshat)
This toe should never have been allowed out of the Croc.
Was that the Ex-wife he left for Chelsea Handler?
Not a fan of Jo Koy and used to be a fan of Chelsea but no longer. However, he didn’t leave his wife for Chelsea Handler. He was divorced in 2013 and started dating Chelsea in 2021.
Right? Let’s talk to her and see what SHE has to say about how he “praises and shines light on women”
He has a great relationship with his ex-wife. It’s easy enough to Google
I know he dated Chelsea Handler, which explains a lot. She’s not responsible for his terrible stand up/hosting duties, but being with her for so long does explain a bit of it.
Grosss. As an Asian, I absolutely do not claim him. He really thinks because he’s Asian that’s enough. Wouldn’t we rather have Sandra Oh again as a solo host or any of the much funnier Asian comedians than him. Representation alone is not enough for the sake of representation is not it. Especially when he’s someone who’s mocked his mom’s Filipino access in many of his bits. He punches down and causes more harm than good.
Are you Filipino? Because I am and most of my family and Filipino friends can relate to his comedy so much. He’s not mocking his mom’s accent. That’s generally what old Filipino moms sound like.
Family in the phillipines here, He was rubbish and should stick to entertaining domestic audiences then.
Pure narcissist; first he doesn’t want to give himself a grade because: subjective. Then he proceeds to give his performance an A-plus rating. Dude, just except that you’re douchebag and stop the whining. He could have turned down the gig, because he didn’t have enough time to prepare. I know, he needs the money. Then why complain? Someone please send him a copy of Miguel Ruiz’s the 4 Agreements, specifically, Agreement #4. Always do your best, never put yourself in a position where you have to lower your standards for money; this way you’ll never have to explain. But then again, don’t bother, he won’t read it, ’cause he’s a douchebag.
“Because if you’ve ever seen me, you’ll see just how much I praise and shine light on women, from my ex-wife to my mom.”
A lot of us did see you for the first time. On national television. Bashing women.
There’s nothing wrong with making a few jokes about woman. Woman aren’t delicate flowers, we don’t need to be protected at all times. I bet you was okay with his joke about Barry Keoghan penis.
Totally agree with you.
Amy & Jackie: “Pick me, oh please pick me!”
If he just laid low and did an interview about reflecting a few months from now, he’d be doing much better.
But the direction his cheap jokes ran showed him to be a certain sort of lazy, run with the lazy crowd man. This crowd gets themselves all hyped up that everyone else is lazy and mean and that woke means broke. But then they find themselves in the real world and find that that garbage doesn’t cut it. Sorry to overuse lazy here, but it defines these guys in so many ways. And I haven’t had my coffee yet.
If it was funny, people would have laughed and his entire performance would have been praised—but it wasn’t. He didn’t do his job well. He can make excuses all day for his comedy but at the end of the day, it’s very simple—he failed. And maybe the lesson here is that “comedy” rife with misogyny and sexism and the whole “Take my wife–please” routine is very anachronistic and outdated. It hasn’t been funny for a while now and male comedians need to stop falling back on that trope if they want to appeal to a diverse audience. My dudes, please challenge yourself to be funny not at women’s expense.
oh Jo, you tried to touch the sun and got burned. Back to the comedy circuit you go. Thank you for your services.
Whatever. He shouldn’t have taken the job three weeks before the actual show.
Ooh this is not good. I noticed that his monologue’s biggest laugh came when he improvised “some I wrote, some I didn’t!” but then he really did throw his writers under the bus, which was so uncomfortable. I appreciate he wants to “own” being the first Asian-American host of the Golden Globes, but doing so means having to own everything else that occurred onstage as well.
That’s a lot of words for “I’ve never given a woman an orgasm and I hate women anyway.”
what do you guys think about his joke about Barry Keoghan penis? Was that sexist or not?
After reading all the absolute truth in the comments here….
One thing I sincerely wish for Jo Koy is that he will read them all. We see you Jo Koy. We absolutely know who you are. Do better bruh!
Is it just me or does it seem comics, particularly male ones are the most thin-skinned folks out there? Any criticism and they immediately run “cancel culture” instead of just saying “eh – joke didn’t land, it happens”.
How do you improve as a comic if you can’t accept audience feedback that your jokes sucked?
Horribly offensive & not funny. If Ko has any talent at all, it didn’t show. I was offended at his “jokes” about DeNIro, Barry Keoghan, et al, to say nothing of his attempts at humor aimed at “Barbie” & Taylor.
The subsequent non-apologies & excuses make it even worse. He should turn tail & skedaddle out of town. Hope he has another skill because because comedy isn’t it.